


The Daughters of Avalon

by CorvusCorvidae



Category: Glee
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-01
Updated: 2013-04-04
Packaged: 2017-11-27 20:21:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 22,409
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/666125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CorvusCorvidae/pseuds/CorvusCorvidae
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Auror Quinn Fabray needs to lay memories to rest and put the past behind her, and she believes catching the known fugitive Santana Lopez will do that. If only she knew how wrong she was. Some bonds cannot be broken. AU. Harry Potter Universe.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

*0*0*

The Daughters of Avalon

*0*0*

The rain was lashing against the ground, freezing the group of Aurors to the bone as they stood, huddled, behind a wall in the middle of rural England. For the last twenty minutes, they had been running diagnostic spells and checking the vulnerability of their location, and thoroughly getting soaked.

Quinn was not amused, and the longer she stood there, the colder she became and the more water leaked into her Ministry issue Auror boots. They were standard issue after the last war, in an attempt to kit out the recruits properly, projecting an image of stability, but all it did was piss the Aurors off and incite office tension when they had to be written up for not following the dress code.

Oh how the mighty profession had fallen.

Blowing warm air on her hands, as they were not allowed to use magic in case it set off alarms for the nearby house, Quinn tried to stop her teeth chattering and attempted to tune in to what the other Aurors were saying. It only took her a few seconds before she just had to cut in.

“Do we know if they’re still in there?” she asked, looking between her colleagues. Quinn wasn’t the senior ranking Auror on site, but she did have the most experience with this particular group of witches.

“The report said-“ Auror Hudson began, pulling out said report from his robes. Quinn rolled her eyes at his foolishness to believe a six-month-old report and the testimony of a snitch.

“Do we know for sure they’re still in there?” she asked again, her anger stirring warmth in her body. “You may be willing to go in wands blasting, but I don’t want to lose my life in friendly fire because the place is actually empty.” Hudson puffed his chest and got ready to argue back at the dig on his personal record, but the senior Auror had heard enough.

“Fabray, we only have the report. We don’t know anything.” He tried to be diplomatic, but it was useless.

“At least you got the latter part correct,” she grumbled, gripping her wand tighter and eying the property behind the wall.

It was an unsuspecting house in a derelict neighbourhood of what used to be a magical town. Rumours had been circulating lately that this was a safe house, or many even the headquarters, for an up and coming group of dark witches.

They called themselves the Daughters of Avalon, a homage to the sorceress Morgan le Fey, or Morgana as she was more famously known as. The Ministry was still unsure of their intent, but they suspected foul play, an uprising of some kind. They wanted to shut it down, interrogate the members, and have them disbanded. They were taking no chances this time around.

Quinn had only been drafted in on this assignment because of her history with the group, and yet, despite knowing more about them than anyone else there, she was sitting on the side-lines, orders in hand, and expected to do as she was told. It felt wrong. 

The whole set up felt like a trap, but her four measly years of experience in the Auror Department wasn’t enough weight for her to say as much. Especially not when she was talking with a veteran of twenty years, her commanding officer, Nelson Colbert. He was running this show, and it was his word she would follow, even if she didn’t think he was right.

How he hadn’t picked up on the strange set of circumstances they were in, however, was beyond her.

For starters, there was only one entrance into the property, and diagnostic spells had revealed that apparition was impossible. While the premises were warded rather heavily, that wasn’t all that surprising when looking round the neighbourhood. Break ins and arson attacks were frequent here, especially given how it was only a few miles from the previous Ministry’s Rehabilitation Camps.

Don’t even get Quinn started on that mess. She’d done two rotations there before being selected for the Auror Department, and she did not want to think about what she’d encountered at a time like this. It would only fog her mind.

Hearing Colbert give the signal, she steadied her heartbeat and walked briskly across the street, following the three Aurors in front of her. They were going to break entry via the door, and the six of them would have to raid the property and round up any one inside.

It felt like a suicide mission. The door could be a trap, designed to hurt or maim, the wards could eject them from the grounds, and who knows what could be waiting for them inside. They didn’t have enough information, they didn’t have enough time to plan, and they didn’t have enough bodies to protect themselves if this was their headquarters.

Quinn could only ask Merlin that she made it out of this alive and unscratched.

The door was blasted to smithereens by an overzealous recruit, with Hudson cheering him on, and then they were inside. Three of them ran towards the back of the house, screaming out their intent and their titles, and then it was Quinn’s turn to enter. She took the stairs to her right, her feet thumping up each step, and muttering a protection shield spell under her tongue.

If she was caught off guard, at least it would be enough to rebound most spells.

Turning on the landing, and hearing a scuffle taking place downstairs, she realised she was alone. That was not standard protocol, and when she got back downstairs she was going to kick their asses for breaking that rule, but right now, she had four doors in front of her, all closed, and no clue what was in each one.

Her heart was thumping as she stepped into the hallway, keeping close to the wall and trying to keep the noise down. They may have found some occupants downstairs, but that didn’t mean they were the only ones in the house.

As if to prove Quinn right, the door at the end of the hall opened.

Quinn froze, all her training, all of her education going out the window, upon seeing the figure at the end of the hallway. Familiar black, soulless eyes scorched her gaze and she took a hasty breath, coming back to her senses and firing the first spell that came to mind. It rebounded and spliced the wall to her right, bits crumbling to her feet.

A deep chuckling followed, and as Quinn looked up to see if they were still there, she caught the tail end of an animal disappearing behind the door, closing her out. Animagus. Of course. They always did suspect. She must have perfected it.

Advancing quickly, trying the handle and failing, Quinn threw her body into the door until the latch broke. She entered in a hurry, and then realised her mistake. That tail, those eyes, the rumours. She could have gotten herself killed for her foolhardiness.

Thankfully, the room the _was_ empty. No one in sight, not even an animal. This, of course, begged the question; how the hell did she escape?

“Fabray?!” Colbert called, no doubt having heard her crashing about upstairs and worrying.

“In here!” she replied, clenching her teeth as she spun around, taking in the empty room.

It was exactly that, completely empty. Nothing, not even a fireplace. How? How had she done that? Running a quick diagnostic spell to check the wards for apparition, they came back saying apparition was still disabled. So if she hadn’t apparated, how? Portkey, maybe?

But why did she open the door if she had an escape? Why did she show herself? They never would have known she was here. They never would have suspected. Why did she open that damn door?

Colbert joined Quinn a few seconds later, looking a little out of breath, and scanning her for any signs of injury. She brushed off his concerned look, and looked out the window into the street. Nothing. No water round the edges of the window frame. No signs of it being opened in years.

It had to be a portkey.

“You okay?” Colbert asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.

“I’m fine,” she ground out, frustrated that she had let her escape, and letting his hand fall away from her.

“We caught a few downstairs, no one on the Ministry’s radar. Did you…?” Colbert let the sentence hang, and Quinn knew he was inquiring as to why she’d blown a hole in the hall.

“Santana Lopez was here. I don’t know how she got out, portkey maybe? She’s an animagus, as well. I don’t know what animal. Maybe a feline or a dog. I don’t…I didn’t see.” She wished she had seen, because that would give them a bigger lead. They could at least put out reports for people to keep an eye out. Now they had nothing.

Santana hadn’t been seen in four years, she only was found when she wanted to be. So why did she open the door and show herself? What was that about?

“Did she hurt you?” Colbert asked, still looking concerned for her. It was unnecessary. 

“No. Not this time.” Striding past him, Quinn headed down the stairs and back into the street, desperate for some fresh air. She could still smell the woman, intoxicating her senses and dragging her back down memory lane, and right now all Quinn wanted was the rain to wash those memories away.

*0*0*

_Guard’s Log – Junior Officer Quinn Fabray – Day 1_

_I was assigned to the Ministry’s Rehabilitation Camps (Camp 3) today. Technically, it’s my first day on the job as they transferred me over immediately. My family’s impeccable reputation and my Hogwarts record speak for themselves, apparently, and they just had to have me. It’s all very exciting._

_Or, it was, until I got here._

_These camps…I know after the war the ministry wanted to ensure another war would never take place but…they’re not what I thought they were going to be like. The posters, the information, and the books all speak of them being about education classes and helping families with dark pasts onto the path of the light._

_It doesn’t look like that at all, though. I could be wrong. I probably am. It’s only my first day, so I don’t know anything. I’m probably confused._

_I really hope that I’m just confused._

*0*0*

_Guard’s Log – Junior Officer Quinn Fabray – Day 9_

_I wanted to give myself a proper amount of time to adjust before logging my thoughts, to correct the mistakes I had made in my last entry, but it seemed no mistakes were made. This place is a prison. It’s a well-established prison._

_I’m a prison guard. I know my title says as much, but we were told we would be guarding the families in here from those on the outside, from the passionate and vengeful witches and wizards who hadn’t forgiven the occupants. That’s just not true at all._

_To make matters worse, I’m being asked to attend a ‘meeting’ next week. They want to talk to this one occupant, inmate, about their family, who they have been unable to trace. The Ministry’s Hit-Wizards will be there, from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, which implies the family are criminals._

_I honestly wasn’t expecting this when I accepted this job, and I wish I had turned them down._

_It all feels wrong._

*0*0*

_Guard’s Log – Junior Officer Quinn Fabray- Day 14_

_Today, I sat in on a meeting between Hit-Wizards and an occupant. It started as a simple conversation, but with the occupant’s answers resulting in nothing new, things changed. I had to step in between a team of Hit-Wizards before they harmed the occupant._

_When I reported the incident to my commanding officer, he told me in no uncertain terms that in those situations I should step out of the room and leave them to it._

_It made me feel sick._

_They have another meeting next week, and I’m to attend it again. I have to decide whether I step in between them, preventing the occupant from getting hurt, or I step out and let them have her. How do I even begin to justify leaving them with her?_

_I can’t._

*0*0*

_Guard’s Log – Junior Officer Quinn Fabray – Day 19_

_I received my first disciplinary action, today, but it was completely worth it._

_The Hit-Wizards came back, and the occupant had nothing new for them. This time, they asked me to step out, and when I refused, they tried to force me. Well, I didn’t receive all Outstanding in my N.E.W.T.s for nothing._

_After that, they took their leave, and that’s when I suspect they reported me. Not that it matters. I did the right thing. I know I did._

_Once they’d gone, it was just the occupant and I, and she thought it was hilarious, and proceeded to tell me so. Santana, her name is Santana Lopez. I have access to her files, but I’ve not read them. I don’t want to know why she’s there. It’s bad enough I know her name._

_Whatever information she’s withholding, I hope she tells them soon, because I don’t think I’ll be allowed in on her meetings again, and I’d rather not see her get hurt._

*0*0*

_Guard’s Log – Junior Officer Quinn Fabray – Day 46_

_Santana was brought into the infirmary today. Extensive bruising across her neck and face. She laughed the entire time, spewing out the odd Spanish word here and there, and even had the gall to flirt with the healer._

_I still don’t know what they want with her, what she knows or why she’s there, but seeing her face beaten like that was a shock to the system. The rehabilitation camps are to help people, not hurt them. We’re not Azkaban. These people aren’t locked up._

_The magical tag around her wrist says otherwise, and the muggle style cuffs they attached to her also implied otherwise._

_When did all this begin? When did we start locking people up unannounced? Wasn’t this what everyone fought so hard to avoid?_

_I don’t understand it, but I suspect I never will._

*0*0*

_Guard’s Log – Junior Officer Quinn Fabray – Day 134_

_I must confess, my entries have been non-existent because I’ve feared this might have been found. It wasn’t, and now it can’t be, thanks to a little trick someone taught me._

_I’ve been spending time with Santana Lopez, or Occupant 72836 as she’s known in her file. I finally read it. I was expecting to read of heinous crimes and a long list of bad deeds, but it turned up nothing. Her only crime is being the niece of a mentally ill wizard who went on a killing spree when accidentally released from St. Mungo’s._

_She’s done nothing._

_I don’t know what it is about her, but I’ve been spending my nights in her cell, talking to her, getting to know her. She’s nothing like what I imagined her to be. And yes, I’ve broken so many protocols, but I don’t care. I like her, I trust her, and I want to help her in any way I can._

_She’s an innocent here, and every night as I lock her in her cell I can’t help but think I’m the monster the wizarding world fought to protect itself from. When will this all end?_

*0*0*

_Guard’s Log – Junior Officer Quinn Fabray – Day 201_

_Santana and I have begun to make plans. It was a joke, something we would do when we got out, but it has now become a definite. We were talking about food, because what she gets to eat is not food, and she recalled a pub that served the best ale and the most mouth-watering apple pie._

_It’s located just over the border in Wales, and she wants me to go there and experience how amazing it is, myself. The pub is called Isle of Apples, and on the outside it looks like an abandoned alehouse, but she insists it’s more than that._

_She wants me to go, and then we’ll both return when we’re out of here._

_I have the day off in three days, and while this feels like a trap, I can’t think that she would do that to me. We’ve become friends, of some sort, and she wouldn’t…I don’t think she would hurt me. So I’m going to go and I’m going to enjoy this apple pie, and I’m going to tell her about it._

_She’s the only salvation I have found without these camp walls, and I can’t wait until we’re both on the outside._

*0*0*

_Guard’s Log – Junior Officer Quinn Fabray – Day 205_

_I went to the Isle of Apples pub, and the menu didn’t contain apple pie. However, my request sparked some interest with the owner, and she asked me to follow her. It was all very strange._

_Santana had me initiated into the Daughters of Avalon, a group of healers, saviours, witches and powerful sorceresses who protect and look after those in need. There are nine of us in total, and Santana’s the only one who has been caught._

_She moved three families with questionable backgrounds, including her parents, out of the country, and in return was dragged out of her home to the rehabilitation camp. I saw their set up, the Daughters of Avalon have saved hundreds, impeded many illegal arrests and protected those in need. They’re not dark, not in the least, and I feel proud to be welcomed into their fold._

_It shows trust, and now, I know I can trust Santana with my life, like she has me with hers._

*0*0*

_Guard’s Log – Officer Quinn Fabray – Day 366_

_I was promoted to Officer, and this is my last rotation of the camps. Rather than have me in a more hands on approach, they have me pushing papers and passing inspections. If anything, this position has allowed me to help the Daughters of Avalon save families and friends from being herded like cattle._

_Change is coming, they say, and all I can do is trust them. They have allies and support in the ministry, and the Minister of Magic is due to step down, soon. I can only hope the next one will shut these camps down and let everyone get on with their lives._

_I want Santana to be free. I want to eat apple pie with her in the Isle of Apples, and I want to see her free of chains and bruises. I want her, I confess. My attraction and devotion to this woman has grown with each passing day, and I admit that I am intrigued by all these new emotions. She most likely doesn’t see me that way at all, but I can’t help that when her gaze lingers on me longer than usual it’s because she is imagining what I am; a kiss, a touch, a moment._

_I’m being foolish. She’s still an occupant, and I’m still a guard. Nothing can happen while we live within these walls. We need freedom._

*0*0*

_Guard’s Log – Officer Quinn Fabray – Day 399_

_The Minister of Magic stepped down today, and in his place, a supporter of the Daughters of Avalon was instilled. The new minister abhors these camps, and they’re being shut down within the next three months. Victory! Freedom at last!_

_I can’t wait to tell Santana later on. This is fantastic news. Our sisters must be celebrating in the Isle of Apples, and soon Santana and I can join them. When I’m out of this uniform, when I’m out of this horrible place, things can finally start moving. I’ll be able to help them more, and in time, our service won’t be needed anymore._

_I really feel like I’m making a choice, and I thank Merlin and Morgana for allowing me to meet, like, love Santana, and see beyond her harsh exterior. She’s been my salvation._

*0*0*

Quinn stood outside the interrogation room, listening to Hudson take lead on the suspects they had found in their last raid. Already, she knew right off the bat that these three were not involved with the Daughters of Avalon. They were men, to begin with, which was a big no for the group, and they also had no connection to Wales whatsoever.

Wales was sacred ground for the Daughters of Avalon, and that wouldn’t have changed. These guys were most likely going to be helped by the Daughters, not recruited into the Daughters. However, that wasn’t information Quinn was just going to hand over.

Heading back to her cubicle, she shuffled through her paperwork and went over the notes from that night. Her statement about the first sighting in four years of Santana Lopez was pinned to the top. She was still wanted, her crime deserving of official punishment, and yet her motives implied that punishment might not have been so deserving. If she was still trying to help people, if she was still working with the Daughters, there had to be a good reason behind it.

But no, Quinn couldn’t think like that.

Looking deeper into the file, she found her statement, and the statement of others detailing the incident, the one thing to expel all those doubts about Santana from her mind. Flashes of words, _unprovoked attack_ , glimpses of moving pictures, _blood running down her face,_ anxiety creeping up her spine, _her final word before knocking her out,_ a lump forming in her throat, _I’m sorry_ , and with a slam, Quinn shut the file and pushed away from her desk.

She couldn’t sit there. She couldn’t sit there and do nothing when a known criminal was on the run. She needed to be searching, to go back to the start and have a look for her. Santana was out there, and she had the gall to show Quinn she was still alive after all this time. She even had the nerve to laugh.

Striding through the halls of the ministry, Quinn made her way to the floo network. She wasn’t thinking straight when she grabbed the powder and called out her destination, but she had to see for herself. It had been so long since she’d been there and it was about time she returned.

Landing in a fireplace just over the border in Wales, at The Geoffrey’s Inn, a magical pub and lodging house. She’d been there many times before, and the bartender didn’t even look twice as she shuffled past the regulars and headed out the door.

From one pub to another, she walked the road to the next village, keeping close to the side of the road and out of sight. Her years of training told her these actions were rash. She knew better than to go off like this without telling anyone, but her heart was in control, not her brain.

Rising to the top of the hill, which overlooked the quiet and sleepy looking town of Camlann, she spotted the pub where it all started, the place she was initiated into the Daughters of Avalon, and where her trust of the notorious fugitive Santana Lopez bloomed.

The pub hadn’t changed, it never did, and with each footstep she drew nearer, her heart thumping like a drum calling her home. The other Aurors were never told about this, she couldn’t give it away. It felt too personal. It was too close to the memories she didn’t want to share. It would most likely target her as a terrorist or spy, and that was just not the case.

Standing outside the door, she took one final breath and entered where it all began.

*0*0*

_Infirmary Log – Healer Saunders – based at Rehabilitation Camp 3_

_Patient: Officer Quinn Fabray_

_Presented with: laceration to the head, blood loss, unconscious due to stunning spell of severe nature, dehydration, and broken right arm._

_Patient has been moved to St Mungo’s due to severity of the stunning spell. All other ailments treated on site; no complications._

_Suspected Inmate attack. No known details as of yet. Aurors immediately on scene; adamant to talk to patient – requested she be woken regardless of ailment- request denied._

*0*0*

_Auror: Nelson Colbert              WID: 26435_

_Immediate assistance required at Rehabilitation Camp 3; inmate attacked a guard and escaped._

_Inmate 72836 – Santana Lopez, believed to be armed and extremely dangerous. Initiated into Rehabilitation Camp 3 for being associated with known Dark Arts families and criminals. Has given no helpful information during interviews. Hit-Wizards have used Veritaserum but she has developed an immunity to it. One known marking on her body when admitted: a raven on the right side of her rib cage. As of yet, unknown association with any terrorist groups._

_The attack took place in Inmate 72836’s cell. The purpose behind Officer Fabray’s being there is still unknown (Read File 6653 for more details- Code Clearance Level 5 required). Alarm was raised forty minutes after Officer Fabray gained entry, and guards on site found her unconscious and bleeding. No sign of her wand, and Inmate 72836 had vacated the premises._

_Thorough searches resulted in nothing, and as of this time, Officer Fabray is receiving treatment at St. Mungo’s and cannot be questioned. She was hit with a Stupefy Duo spell, which might result in memory loss and confusion. Auror Department does not expect her to be any help. Preliminary searches of her office and home have resulted in nothing._

_Current search for Inmate 72836: Active._

_Amendment (eight weeks after attack): Code clearance granted- File 6653. Santana Lopez has been linked to little known terrorist group The Daughters of Avalon. Suspected leader. Search still active. Quinn Fabray has been enlisted as an Auror for the department. Awaiting further leads._

*0*0*

The Isles of Apples Pub was deserted when Quinn entered. Outside, the night drew in, and the candles inside casted harsh shadows across the room. Yet no one was there, not even a bartender or a waitress. It hadn’t been abandoned, because the heating was on, a nice change from the cool wind outside, but Quinn suspected whoever had been there had seen her coming and prepared themselves.

She should have told the other Aurors about this. She shouldn’t have been so foolish. This was probably going to get her killed. She was a traitor, a traitor to the Ministry for withholding information, and a traitor to the Daughters of Avalon for hunting their leader for the last four years.

She was caught on both sides; trying to protect the wizarding establishment from war, and trying to protect the people from a government that bordered on oppressive. The war heroes of years before would be disgusted by what wizarding Britain had become. If only they knew.

Taking out her wand, and moving round the room by the walls, Quinn glanced over the bar to check no one was hiding there. It was empty, too. That left the staircase to the left and a door in the back. The Daughter of Avalon meetings and gatherings used to take place upstairs, but she knew there was a basement for emergencies.

All attempts to scan the house for number of occupants failed as Quinn moved towards the back door. It led towards the kitchen, with a small storage cupboard and the basement door next to it.

She had stood in those kitchens feeding and doing minor healing spells on families caught up in the Hit-Wizards’ grasps. She had stood with her Sisters and thought of Santana, the reason she was there, and promised a better tomorrow. She had fallen in love with the apple pie and the ale and the woman who sent her there in these walls.

But personal memories didn’t make up for an unprovoked attack and a chase lasting just over four years. She had been in love with the idea of Santana Lopez, the harsh and mouthy inmate of Rehabilitation Camp 3, the fearless warrior and the loyalist of witches, not the reality of Santana Lopez. Quinn would now describe her as a complete stranger.

It’s funny how things changed.

The basement was empty, a cold draft making Quinn shiver, but it wasn’t an empty search. There was another door, one she had never seen before, and the sound of someone on the other side told her enough. This was it. This was the moment she had been preparing for since being left to bleed on that cell floor.

She knew Santana was on the other side of this door, she didn’t even have to think about it. She was there, and Quinn had finally caught her, finally cornered her like she had cornered Quinn, and it was all about to be over. She just had to open the damn door.

Just like in the derelict house two nights ago, the handle turned itself and the door opened.

“I wondered when you’d show up,” Santana drawled, wand in hand, ready to defend herself, and her eyes alight with mirth.

It was all going to be over. Quinn was finally going to put it all behind her. Relief, it should have been relief coursing through her system, but instead, only dread. This woman, this witch, she turned Quinn to putty each and every time their eyes locked, and now she was frozen, staring at someone she should curse to hell and then arrest, but completely unable to move.

“You going to come in, or will we do this here?” Santana asked, pulling the door open further. She seemed to know Quinn’s answer before the woman herself did, and walked into the room, knowing Quinn was going to follow.

Follow she did, and it was with a small flick of her wand, she shut the door behind them.

Over a year of getting to know each other, of working for the same cause, of bonding through magic and conversation, all ruined in a senseless attack, resulting in a four year search; and it all boiled down to this one moment, right there, in that room, in what was their headquarters.

The Daughters of Avalon, bonded for life, or so it was meant to be.

Now, with wands in hands and fire in Quinn’s eyes, if they both made it out alive, it would be a miracle.

*0*0*

 


	2. Chapter 2

*0*0*

The fireplace to the left of them kept the basement room warm, and there was a few furnishings around the room for comfort. It didn’t look like Santana had been living there, nor that she had even been there long. So Quinn could only deduct that Santana knew she’d finally turn up, and had made her way there specifically for her.

This thought angered her, the look in Santana’s eyes angered her, and the damn memories of Santana leaning forward in her cell, cupping Quinn’s face in her hand, and then breaking her heart in one breath when she grappled for her wand angered her. She felt humiliated, embarrassed, upset and used, but Santana was looking at her like this was all part of some elaborate plan. How could she? How could she betray her like that?!

“Still torn up about it, I see,” Santana murmured, a frown marring her brow as she watched Quinn carefully. Her emotions had been playing across her face plain as day, but her words did nothing but enrage the Auror.

“Give me your wand,” Quinn gritted, attempting to push all her emotions out of the way and focus on the task at hand. She needed to apprehend a known fugitive, that was all. This didn’t need to be personal.

Santana clearly didn’t get that message.

“You’ve known how to find me all along, but yet you never walked through that door. Why?” she asked, cutting to the chase. Quinn felt like she’d taken a physical hit at the question, and shook her head to push all voices of reason away.

“Stop talking. Throw your wand over here and stop talking.” She needed to stay in control of the situation, and the only way to do that was to disarm the woman before her and hand her in.

“What are you going to do, curse me?” Santana teased, smirking as her fingers flexed round the handle of her wand, as if throwing down a challenge.

“Don’t test me,” Quinn ground out, already feeling her magic coursing through her veins.

“I’m not going to give you my wand,” Santana said, slowly circling the floor, with Quinn moving round opposite her.

“You either do it willingly or I’ll disarm you myself,” she barked, clenching her wand tighter, trying to keep a hold of her courage. It was waning under those eyes, at the sound of that voice, and she needed to keep herself focused. Stay focused or she might get herself killed.

“You can try, but you won’t succeed. My duelling skills are much better than yours.” The way Santana raised her eyebrow in direct challenge was enough for Quinn to reassess.

Something told Quinn that Santana was right, and that it would be better not to argue. The files in the Rehabilitation Camps mentioned nothing of Santana’s past, but her ability to resist Veritaserum, her tolerance for the violence and torture she encounter, all of it spoke of a life Quinn didn’t know about. One that meant Santana was better trained for deadly situations than the six years of training Quinn had experienced.

“You could have come here any time over the last four years, you could have found me just by walking through that door. Why didn’t you?” Santana asked again, pushing this question, and in turn, pushing all Quinn’s buttons.

She didn’t want to admit the truth, she didn’t want to think about why she had never come clean about this pub, their headquarters, the marking on her body, the cause they were fighting. It all boiled down to the woman standing in front of her, the one who cruelly lured her in and then took advantage. If she even acknowledged why she’d never walked through that door until now, until she was ready to put the past behind her, then her world would end in tailspin.

“You couldn’t, could you?” Santana asked, cocking her head to the side. A whine at the back of Quinn’s throat escaped as she gripped her wand tighter. “You couldn’t do it. You couldn’t turn me in. You couldn’t betray us.”

“Shut up and give me your wand!” Quinn yelled, having enough of the look on Santana’s face.

“You couldn’t betray me.” It was a whisper, but it was as if she’d shouted the words, and Quinn couldn’t hold back, couldn’t keep this strictly business and broke.

“No, but you could betray me, you could attack me and leave me for dead,” she snapped, her anger flaring, her rage making her she red from the betrayal.

“I never tried to kill you,” Santana was quick to say, shaking her head.

“But you did attack me!”

“I had to,” she replied, her voice still calm, so calm for this conversation.

Quinn hated it. She wanted Santana to yell, to shout, to show herself for the monster that she was. The cocky smirks and smug looks were nothing, all bravado at best, but Quinn knew that there was an animal underneath, a savage and wild animal who wouldn’t hesitate to kill. There just had to be.

“And I have to turn you in, so for Merlin’s sake, Santana, give me your wand, now,” she practically pleaded, swallowing. This was all too much. She had thought she’d be ready to face this, to have this confrontation four years on, but that wasn’t the case. She couldn’t do this. She wanted to escape, to run, to flee, just like Santana had.

“No, I won’t,” she answered, still shaking her head, shooting Quinn an unknown look. Her refusal was enough for Quinn to take action, the sooner, the better.

Quinn fired a disarming spell, but Santana was quicker, blocking it like she was a mere nuisance, and not seconds away from being unarmed. Undeterred, she fired another, and another, all in quick succession, hoping one of them would slip through the cracks, but nothing. Santana was better and faster, and she didn’t looked fazed.

A disarming spell was an Auror’s bread and butter, it had saved thousands of lives, and Quinn had never struggled before. So of all the times to be beaten, to meet a match she couldn’t disarm, why did it have to be right then? Why was Santana making this harder for her?

With each new attempt, Santana began to notice the lights in the room had started flickering. It wasn’t a surprise to see fire in Quinn’s eyes each time her spell failed, but it was a surprise when the fireplace roared, lighting brighter and higher, and blasting heat over the room.  

“You might want to get your magic under control,” Santana quickly said, trying hard to watch Quinn’s rapid fire and the objects about the room beginning to shake. Witches and Wizards losing control of their magic only ended badly, and Santana didn’t want to do go down due to the wardrobe shattering or something lame like that.

“You’re not even sorry, are you?” Quinn asked, completely ignoring Santana’s words, firing spell after spell, not even attempting to disarm her any more, just harm her.

“I don’t regret what I did.” Santana’s words were like ice running down her spine and it resulted in the window panes shacking in its slot, the books on the shelves begin to rattle, but Quinn couldn’t see it, couldn’t hear it, through her blind rage.

“How can you stand there, so blasé? You could have killed me!”

“That wasn’t meant to happen,” Santana called, moving round the room so neither of them were directly next to any furniture.

“You attacked me!” Quinn shouted, launching a particularly nasty spell, only to have it rebound from Santana’s shield and destroy the wooden chair on the other side of the room.

“They suspected you! I had no choice!”  Santana cried back, needing to get her to calm down, needing Quinn to listen to her. It worked for almost a second.

“What are you talking about?” Quinn asked, her voice growing quiet, standing there panting from the exertion of using her magic, and eyed Santana suspiciously.

“Lower your wand, and I’ll tell you,” she said, trying to be diplomatic, trying to put an end to the rapid-fire of spells. One of them was going to get hurt if they didn’t.

“No.”

Quinn was sharp, firing another spell, a beaming red light launching across the room, and Santana took action. It hit her shoulder, spinning her and making her fall to her knees. She gritted her teeth, winced and was quick to get back to her feet.

“Fuck, nice shot,” she cursed, feeling the ache of her muscles tightening, her joints aching under the blast of fire and ice Quinn had shot at her.

“You lowered your shield on purpose,” Quinn said with such a deflated voice, Santana sighed.

“Yeah, well, still.” It was a good spell, no matter what, Santana wasn’t going to deny that. Anyway, it had done what it was meant to, all the uncontrollable magic that had been flying in the air had vanished.

Quinn was stood frozen, looking at this woman who had just purposely been hit by her spell. Those were not the actions of a killer, or a violent fugitive, or someone who hated Quinn with every ounce of her being. Those were the actions of someone entirely different, someone Quinn was sure had been a figment of her imagination.

“Who are you?” she asked, feeling drained.

“You know who I am. You know who I am better than anyone else,” Santana replied without breaking eye contact and Quinn shook her head.

“Rubbish.” She didn’t know this woman. She didn’t know her one bit.

“Quinn, just because you don’t know my history-“ she began, but was quickly cut off.

“Don’t,” Quinn barked, feeling all that rage return by Santana’s misstep. “You don’t get to call me by my name.” No. Just no.

The occupant in Camp 3 got to call her Quinn. The very one Quinn spent her nights talking to, laughing with, caring for, she got to her by her name. This woman, the one who had stolen her wand and used it against her, she did not. 

“What would you prefer? Auror Fabray? Officer Fabray? Junior Officer Fabray? Lucy?” Santana shot back. It was a mistake, and only the sudden roaring of the fire told Santana as much.

This time, when Quinn fired her spell, Santana was unable to block the intensity of it, and the magic licked up her arms like a burn, causing her to fall to the floor in agony. She grunted at the pain, tried to roll the non-existent flames away, and took deep breaths.

Merlin, it was like that whole side of her body was on fire, burning her, melting her skin, and she fought to hide the whimpers in her breath, tried hard to squeeze the tears in her eyes away, and made no move to grab her wand. She couldn’t, not with this pain, not with the excruciating pain now tickling her nerves, stabbing her nerves, making her scream internally.

Kicking out her foot, she tried to stop her muscles from cramping at the pain, and she rolled onto her side, pressing down into the floor where it felt like she was burning, to push the thought from her mind that she was alight.

It was only then that she noticed she wasn’t the only one on the floor.

“What…? What just…?” Quinn stuttered, having dropped onto her knees, gripping her right wrist as her hand burned with an intensity she’d never encountered before, wand lying on the floor next to her.

“You can’t kill me,” Santana replied with a moan to her voice, unable to move from her spot. She’d encountered this spell before, though never of that power, and she knew she was going to need plenty of time before she’d be able to move.  

“What?” Quinn asked, her brows furrowed, still holding her arm gently.

She had cast her spell in a fit of rage, throwing all her anger, all her pain at the woman before her, and yet couldn’t hide her surprise when Santana fell to the floor with a grunt, frantically rolling, looking as if she was in agony. It was only a few seconds later that Quinn had felt her own hand burn, her wrist take most of the pain, and she had been so overcome by it, she’d fallen to her knees in shock.

But what Santana was suggesting, what she was saying, was that Quinn had tried to kill her. That…that had never even entered Quinn’s mind. If she’d been out for death, she would have fired the Killing Curse. But…but she couldn’t. She couldn’t even fathom doing so.

“The bonds we made when initiated, they protect us from betrayal. We can’t kill each other,” Santana answered, her face grimaced and her jaw clenched.

“I wasn’t trying to kill you,” Quinn said softly, as if the idea was truly barbaric. She could never…

“The intensity of your spell would have, give or take a few days of suffering.” Merlin, there would be suffering. Santana could hardly move. There would definitely be suffering, and this wasn’t even the full extent of the spell. She’d been saved from the worst of it. “If I ever doubted your sorcery before, I certainly don’t now,” she tried to joke, swallowing as much of the pain as she could.

There was an overwhelming need to run cold water over her body, to ease the pain, but Santana already knew from first-hand experience that in doing so, she’d be left screaming in agony. Cool water intensified it, and if she was foolish enough, she still could get herself killed.

“Don’t…don’t put your hand in water, or anything cold, really. Wait until…wait until the pain’s gone before exposing it like that,” she ground out, shooting a look at Quinn who was still on the floor.

Quinn didn’t know what to make of Santana’s words, but nodded once, anyway. Trying hard to focus on anything other than the pain of her hand, she quickly spotted Santana’s wand a few feet away from the woman’s body, and then noted her own, lying just within grabbing distance. Santana seemed to have clocked the same thing, because within seconds, she  was crying out in agony to grab her wand, while Quinn fumbled for hers.

She was just too slow, and Santana’s shield went up to protect herself from anything Quinn shot her way. Once again, they were at a stalemate. Only this time, Santana looked worse for wear, and Quinn had the bad taste of regret in her mouth.

Santana began a slow shuffle across the floor, wincing and grimacing as she did so, until she was propped against the nearest wall. Her position, and her injuries, now meant Quinn didn’t have to be so on edge. Yes, Santana could still hex her, but there wasn’t the risk of a physical attack taking place, too.

With this in mind, Quinn sat down on the floor properly, he knees aching in pain from the change of movement, allowing her a short reprieve from the pain in her hand. She didn’t dare lessen her grip on her wand, but with both of them seated, the air seemed to change. Santana watched her carefully, rose her eyebrows in question when the silence dragged on, and Quinn figured that since she didn’t have the ability to physically or magically apprehend her, she could at least get some answers to the many questions that had plagued her mind the last four years.

 “Why did you show yourself in that house?” she wondered, deciding it best to pick the latest nuisance of Santana’s, rather than her ultimate sin.

“Because I knew once you saw me, you wouldn’t stop,” Santana answered simply, looking almost bored with this conversation.

“You’re a criminal.” It was said as more of reminder to Quinn herself than anything else.

“So are you, or have you forgotten about the bird etched onto your rib cage?” she teased, mirth in her eyes.

“I don’t have it,” Quinn replied shortly, swallowing anxiously, but Santana just chuckled in delight.

“Liar. I was there when you got it.” That had the Auror frowning, and she shook her head slowly, recalling her initiation carefully, which was foolish, because Santana had been incarcerated.

“You couldn’t have been. It was before the attack. You were in the camps.” Santana only rolled her eyes and Quinn’s words and waved her hand dismissively.

“I left,” she said, shrugging one shoulder, and then wincing at the movement of her body.

“Oh, you walked out, just like that?” She was treating Quinn like an idiot, as if her leaving the camps was even possible, and she hated it.

“I’m a Master of Transfiguration,” Santana said seriously, looking at Quinn directly. “Do you know how easy it was to get out there?”

Quinn actually did. She’d read the reports on weaknesses in the camps facilities after her attack. Auror and Hit-Wizards had examined the whole place, attempting to find every hide out and escape route, just to track Santana down.

“So why did you stay? Why did you have to attack me when you fled?!” Quinn shot back, hit with another round of anger. It was only calmed by the burning sensation in her hand, but she was breathing faster than before, and her heart was still racing.

“They suspected you,” Santana answered, trying so hard to make Quinn understand. “They thought you were a terrorist and they were going to drag you in there!”

No. That couldn’t have been possible. Santana had to be wrong.

“You’re lying,” Quinn said quickly, gripping her wand tighter.

“Am I? Read the files! Read the damn files! It’s all there. You helped us, you gave us names and addresses and they watched us help people flee. They suspected you were the leak, handing over information, and they were going to torture you for it,” Santana cried out, tired of having that attack thrown back in her face.

Didn’t Quinn understand the big picture? Couldn’t she see that by attacking her, Santana had sealed her future and would most likely always be on the run? Couldn’t she see that Santana could have kept quiet, could have waited three months or however long it took to actually shut down the camps and been free? Couldn’t she see that Santana had no choice but to shift the focus off Quinn and onto herself, even if it meant being a fugitive for the rest of her life?

“No,” Quinn ground out. Not accepting Santana’s words at all.

She was wrong. She had to be wrong. They didn’t know. They didn’t know about Quinn. They never would have put her in a position of power if they thought she was a spy. They never would have offered her a job in the Auror department. Santana was wrong. She had to be wrong.

“You know I’m right,” she said morosely, as if hating the very fact that this was true.

“You can’t be,” Quinn whispered, licking her lips that had become dry, and feeling as if someone had just hit her over the head.

“I wished it wasn’t true, but it’s all there.” Right, the files.

Taking a moment to catch her breath, Quinn’s eyes surveyed the room quickly before falling back on Santana. She wasted no time and raised her arm, pointing towards the chest of drawers near the door.

“The files are in the top drawer,” she explained, as if knowing exactly what Quinn was thinking.

That thought had her frowning, and she quickly checked her mental shields, too. The last thing she needed was Santana having full access to her mind and thoughts.

“Is it safe to open the drawers?” Quinn asked, looking at them unsurely.

“Please, as if I would hurt you after that show of power,” Santana grumbled in response, rolling her eyes as she flexed the left side of her body, wincing in pain.

Quinn decided to take her word for it, for a change, and moved over to remove the dusty files from the chest of drawers before placing them on top. She looked at them briefly, and then back to Santana.

 “Throw your wand over and I’ll read them,” she called, taking charge again as she stole another look at the file on top.

_File 6653 – Code Clearance Five Required to view._

“Pft, in your dreams, Quinn. I’m not giving you my wand,” Santana replied, her hand unconsciously gripping her wand tighter.

“I am not going to sit defenceless and read while you sit there with your wand,” Quinn explained, growing annoyed at the thought of having to elaborate. She really didn’t want Santana to know how much she felt on edge around her, even with her in such a state.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” she repeated, trying so hard to make Quinn believe her.

“The scar on my forehead would suggest otherwise,” Quinn shot back. It felt like a low blow, and Santana looked away, swallowing at her words.

“On the bonds made in memory of Morgana, I will not cast an offensive spell,” she murmured, and Quinn replayed the words over a second due to their specificity.

She’d defend herself, but she wouldn’t attack.

Accepting the inevitable, Quinn sighed and grabbed the files. That was probably the best she was going to get from Santana, so really, she had no choice but to take it. Moving to the wall opposite Santana, Quinn took a seat and began to read.

*0*0*

_File 6653 – Code Clearance 5 required. Page 1._

_Auror: Harris Rhymes      WID: 24113_

_Recent reports of dark arts supporters being moved through Britain has been finally confirmed. Aurors tailed two separate families from their homes to five different safe houses down the country. They have not been seen since, possible illegal Portkey usage (investigation pending)._

_The group involved has been identified as The Daughters of Avalon: a small, relatively unknown group believed to be aiding and abetting known criminals and dark arts supporters. Handle cautiously, associated witches are powerful and dangerous._

_Suspected Leader: Santana Lopez – No known location.  Related to Felipe Lopez, known dark arts wizard and murderer. Apprehension is crucial._

*0*0*

_File 6653 – Code Clearance 5 required. Page 2._

_Auror: Harris Rhymes      WID: 24113_

_Status update on The Daughters of Avalon:  Santana Lopez was apprehend after assisting three families flee the country. Resisted arrest on site, had to be stunned. Now housed at Rehabilitation Camp 3. All interviews have resulted in nothing. Immune to Veritaserum. Unable to access school record- possibly home schooled. Refuses to help, aid, or assist in any way. Rejects all offers of immunity._

_Interviews still on going._

*0*0*

_File 6653 – Code Clearance 5 required. Page 5._

_Auror: Harris Rhymes      WID: 24113_

_Status update on Santana Lopez: Still refusing to help. Hit-Wizards have used many varying levels of persuasion, resistant to nearly all, and she is unfazed by violence. Legilimency has failed – Legilimens Bronson attempted to invade her mind and was unable- therefore other methods will need to be sought._

_Current reports show that The Daughters of Avalon have moved and aided over forty people so far this year, abandoning old safe houses for new ones, and have evaded detection. As of yet, there is no known headquarters location._

_More Aurors are required to stop this group._

*0*0*

_File 6653 – Code Clearance 5 required to view. Page 19._

_Auror: Harris Rhymes      WID: 24113_

_Status update on The Daughters of Avalon: The groups activities have increased tenfold in the last year. Santana Lopez has still not succumb to Hit-Wizards persuasion, and refuses to offer any new information. The families being saved and helped are all on Ministry lists for arrests or questioning (investigation complete)._

_Thorough checks suggest The Daughters of Avalon have a mole inside the Ministry but the investigation revealed nothing. However, mole still likely, and request has been made for Auror Nelson Colbert to take over search for such persons._

*0*0*

_File 6653 – Code Clearance 5 required. Page 22._

_Auror: Nelson Colbert    WID: 26435_

_Status update on The Daughters of Avalon: Possible mole located – Officer Quinn Fabray, Rehabilitation Camp 3. All families escaping the country in the last two months have been listed in the reports Officer Fabray receives, and she may be passing this on to The Daughters of Avalon._

_Arrest warrants have been issued to the Magical Law Enforcement department. Interview requests with Hit-Wizards have been submitted. Currently waiting on confirmation before arrest is to be made._

_Auror Rhymes has written recommendation that Veritaserum be used on Officer Fabray, and all means of persuasion are necessary in order to find out all information pertinent to The Daughters of Avalon._

*0*0*

_File 6653 – Code Clearance 5 required. Page 26_

_Auror: Nelson Colbert    WID: 26435_

_Status update on The Daughters of Avalon: Santana Lopez is still missing, and Ministry has issued country wide posters and adverts to aid her arrest. Miss Fabray is recovering at home, having been out of St. Mungo’s for several weeks._

_Due to the nature of the attack on Miss Fabray, it looks unlikely that she could be involved in The Daughters of Avalon. On search of her office, home, and persons, no information regarding them was found, and she did not bare the mark associated with this group._

_However, her attack seems too convenient, and a request has been filed with the Auror Department to offer her a position working in my team, seeking the Daughters of Avalon. Her personal feelings may reveal themselves with time, and it would be wiser to have her where the Ministry can see her._

_Auror Rhymes agrees with this position, and a recommendation is being written for Miss Fabray’s involvement._

*0*0*

Quinn didn’t need to read anymore, and she folded the file over, before pushing it to the side.

Her entire career had been a lie. They’d brought her in so they could watch her, not to help her catch those that had attacked her. They were using her, and they still were. Auror Colbert…Merlin, Quinn had trusted him with her life, and yet…

“Are these files genuine?” she asked, breaking the silence and looking up at Santana. She appeared much better after having had time to rest, something which Quinn found herself feeling relieved about.

“Yeah, we got someone on the inside to copy them directly. They haven’t tampered with, they’re not falsified, and they’re as exact as the ones in the filing cabinets at the Ministry.”

“They’ve been using me…” she murmured, uttering them aloud despite Santana clearly having knowledge of already knowing this. “And you…you…” Quinn didn’t know what to say.

Where did she begin?

They were going to plough her with Veritaserum until she had no secrets left to hide. They were going to use their methods of persuasion, which Quinn knew was their word for torture. She was going to have been arrested, incarcerated, and tortured!

“You saved me,” she whispered, knowing those words didn’t even sum up the half of it.

Santana didn’t know what to say in return, and she shrugged her shoulders like it was no big deal. It was a big deal, it was a huge deal, and Quinn took a harrowing breath as the reality crashed in on her.

“I’ve been hunting the one person who saved me from being the hunted. Merlin, what have I been doing-“

“You didn’t know.”

“No, you’re right. I didn’t. Why didn’t I? Why didn’t you tell me? Gosh, Santana, I could have done something. You didn’t have to do this. You didn’t have to save me like that!”

“Yes, yes I did, and you know why.” Quinn wanted to believe those words meant something other than because of the bird on her ribcage, which reminded her…

“Why didn’t they see the Raven?” she wondered, frowning.

“If they’d found it, they would have arrested you, so I had to shield it,” Santana answered, sitting up further against the wall.

“But…I’ve always been able-“

“It’s a glimmer. They can’t see it because they’re looking for it. If they weren’t, they could see it,” she went on to explain.

“I don’t…” That didn’t make sense. Quinn would look for it every time she showered, and yet she could still see it. Even on the months she wished it had never been there, she still saw it clear as day.

“Anyone with ill intent towards you, if they’re searching for that mark, they won’t be able to see it. That’s how you can still see it,” she finished, not wanting to go into too many details of how the spell worked exactly.

Thankfully, her words were enough for Quinn, and she nodded, grasping onto some kind of understanding. Well, understanding of that, because she certainly didn’t have any understanding of anything else that was going on in her life right about now.

This visit, this meeting with Santana, it had completely thrown her for a loop. She thought she was going to arrest her, hand her over to Auror Colbert, and be on her way, with all this in the past, but now…now Quinn didn’t even want to look at Auror Colbert again, and she certainly didn’t want to arrest Santana.

“This is so screwed up. You were trying to help people. We were trying to help people,” she moaned, dropping her wand as she pressed the palms of her hands into her eyes, trying to fight the overwhelming sensation to just start crying.

It was the sound of shuffling that had her pulling her hands away, and she instinctively reached for her wand as Santana tried to get up off the ground and walked towards her. The slight limp in her step, the way she was cradling her arm, and the redness on one side of her face made Quinn relax her arm and just see where this was going.

Santana tried to appear as least threatening as possible as she hobbled over and took a seat about a metre along from Quinn. She didn’t know what had possessed her to do it, but when she saw Quinn just about to cry, every cell in her body was screaming at her to get up and comfort her. Through, really, that wasn’t going to be possible, but the least she could do was lessen the physical distance between the two of them.

“We still do help people, and thanks to you, we know a lot more of how the Ministry operates,” Santana said, hoping Quinn knew that she had always been an asset, and despite the current circumstances, they wouldn’t change anything.

“Yeah, you still help people, but I’ve been hindering you for years. How many people have I stopped from fleeing? There were a few guys two nights ago who got caught, what about them? How many others like that have I gotten in the way of?” She sounded stressed, frantic at the idea of having let people down like that, but Santana had been prepared for this.

“Nine, including the ones you mentioned,” she said simply, shutting Quinn up almost instantly.

“What?”

“You’ve stopped nine people in the last four years. No more, no less. Nine.”

“How do you know that?” Quinn wondered, frowning slightly. There was no way Santana could know that number off the top of her head, not unless…

“Q, do you really think I would stray far?” And there is was, laid out for her to see.

“You’ve been watching me.” It wasn’t a question, but Santana nodded anyway. “Why- why would you-?” It wasn’t making any sense. Yes, the Santana before her was nothing like what she thought she was, but this felt like too much. Why would she look after Quinn when she was betraying their group by hunting their leader?

“We protect our own, Q, and I needed to know you’d be safe.” It was the second part of that sentence that had Quinn licking her lips and swallowing. She needed to know she’d be safe. That could mean so many different things, yet all Quinn could think about was that almost kiss the night of her attack.

Maybe…just maybe.

“Did I really scar you?” Santana murmured, almost as if she was on the same wavelength. She turned to look closely at Quinn, her eyes scanning her forehead for the aforementioned scar.

“No. Not really. You can hardly see it.”

“So that’s a yes, then,” she said, chuckling. Quinn rolled her eyes and scooted over, moving closer so Santana could see properly.

“It’s just here,” she explained, moving her hair away from her forehead and tapping the skin on the right side, just where her hair began. Santana could see a small white line, and casted her eyes down towards the group in shame.

“I’m sorry…I couldn’t let them get to you. It was never my intention to hurt you like this though,” she murmured, and Quinn opened her mouth to protest, only to be stopped by the desperate look in Santana’s eyes as she lifted her head. “You weren’t meant to fall into the cell wall, Q. You weren’t meant to break your arm or hit your head. You weren’t. I would never have done that to you if I had known you were going to be blasted across the cell like that. I honestly didn’t think it would-“

“Shh,” she murmured, placing her finger against Santana’s lips. It felt surreal, being that close to her, touching her. “Knowing what I know, I’m glad you did because if they’d interviewed me, if they’d-“

“I would never have let them get to you,” Santana said, her tone serious. “I would have gotten you out, protected you. I would never have let them hurt you…You look surprised.

“It’s taking my brain just a bit longer to see you as Santana, my Santana from Camp 3, and not the Santana I’ve spent the last four years hunting. But, you’re still in there. You’re still you, I guess and…you’ve been protecting me this whole time.”

“Someone had to,” she replied, her gaze saying so much more than her words did.

Quinn closed her eyes and inhaled, trying not to get her hopes up, trying to block out the sight of Santana, but in doing so she was surrounding herself with the scent of the other woman and losing herself.

“Your raven…Can I see it?” Santana asked, focusing on the one physical sign of her protection as she tapped her own ribcage where Quinn knew her tattoo to be. It felt like an odd request, but then again, this was Santana’s mark, one Quinn had proudly taken, so why wouldn’t she want to see it?

Quinn could remember admiring the pictures that had been placed in Santana’s file when she finally read it. The Raven, black ink against tan skin, occasionally spreading it’s wings and showing off for the camera, which always used to make Quinn smile. Even then, there was nothing ordinary about Santana Lopez, and Quinn should have known she was going to get herself in too deep.

When she finally found out the meaning behind such a marking, and received her own, her admiration for the woman before her grew. Her sisters of The Daughters of Avalon had explained how Santana had created the design, much like the Dark Mark, except it protected each other (and Quinn now knew personally to what extent), as well as being a way to inform the others of their sisters welfare should anything happen to them. It was a sign of trust and a bond that tied them all together, binding their lives and their magic.

Quinn should have known she was going to get herself in too deep. She should have realised that by taking this mark, by having the bird painted on her skin to stay there forever, casting that spell that bound her to The Daughters, she would be pining her future to Santana’s, no matter what. She should have realised that their ending was always going to be one of pain and hardship, because still, she was the Auror, and Santana the fugitive.

Pushing those thoughts to the side, Quinn moved her robes out the way and lifted her shirt. The stark contrast of the black ink of the raven against her pale rib cage still took her by surprise sometimes. Santana didn’t look to be surprised at all, however. She looked mesmerized, her fingers reaching out and glossing round the edges, her fingertips causing Quinn to take a shaky breath and swallow. Merlin, just her touch was enough to have her head spinning.

“It looks better on you than it does me,” Santana murmured, bending down further to get a better look at it. Her fingers continued to caress her, and Quinn was powerless to stop her skin from becoming gooseflesh.

“I doubt that,” she replied, shaking her head and blowing at the wisps of hair that had fallen in her face.

“No, it really does. Your raven is smaller than mine, but yours is proud looking, attempting to look perfect, too. It’s beautiful, really. Very much like you.”

“I’m not smaller than you,” Quinn mumbled, wondering what the hell Santana was now going on about, and choosing to ignore the other part of her sentence.

“You’re not the founder, you’re bird is smaller,” Santana lamented with an eye roll, knowing full well Quinn had chosen to focus on that part instead.

Despite all the ground they had covered, Quinn still didn’t seem to be touching on the one reason why Santana had gone so far to protect her, to save her. It didn’t seem like that was going to be a topic for today, and with one last parting look at Quinn’s Raven, Santana pushed herself off the wall and began to rise to her feet.

Quinn followed suit, purely because she didn’t want Santana looming over her, and grabbed her wand before rising off her legs. She watched carefully as Santana headed over to the things on the other side of the room and began gathering a few items up.

Her back was to Quinn, and she realised that with a simple flick of her wand, something she had been so desperate for earlier, she could have Santana disarmed and arrested. But then she glanced at the files by her feet and knew she could never. And that was it, really.

Quinn had never been able to hand over her information for the Isles of Apples pub, The Daughters of Avalon, or the details she knew about Santana because she didn’t want to hurt her. No, Quinn had wanted to protect Santana, even with everything that had happened. She didn’t want her lying in another cell, rotting away and being a plaything to the prison guards. She wanted to keep her out of Azkaban and the Dementor’s kiss. She wanted to stop her from

One part of Quinn had never stopped loving the Santana Lopez who had laughed at her after kicking out the Hit-Wizards when they wanted to torture her in that second meeting, and she was forever going to be in love with the woman who had held her hand and told her of a pub in Wales, the very pub she was standing in, where they served the best apple pie.

“So what do we do now? Are we just meant to walk away?” she asked, seeing that Santana had packed a bag and was throwing on another robe to brave the elements.

Could Quinn do that? Could she walk away from the woman who had saved her from so much? Who had gone above and beyond to ensure her safety? The very woman she had fallen so helplessly in love with? Was it even possible?

 “I’m still a fugitive in the eyes of the Ministry. You should be arresting me,” Santana answered, coming to stop a few feet from Quinn, her wand holstered.

“We both know I was never going to do that,” Quinn said, stepping closer, swallowing nervously, and Santana cocked an eyebrow and smiled wryly at her.

“Really? You looked pretty pissed earlier, I’d say arresting me was the least you were going to do,” she joked, flexing her left hand for good measure. The burns were still sore, and they would be for days, but they were manageable. If it wasn’t for her high pain threshold, she would be fucked.

“Stop,” Quinn murmured. “I’m serious. I…now that I know the truth, I could never…Thank you, you probably saved my life, and I know you’ve saved thousands of others.” Her thank you felt stale but she meant it, she was so thankful.

“So have you,” Santana whispered, her fingers reaching out to touch Quinn’s robes, directly over the Raven.

“It doesn’t feel the same, especially since I’ve been hunting you for years.” That was an understatement.

“If you had been hunting me properly, you would have found me years ago. You knew exactly where to find me, and you were the only thing that would bring me out of hiding.”

“You make it sound like I actually mean something to you,” Quinn said, wondering if this was where she got her heart broken all over again.

“Has there ever been any doubt?” Santana replied, one hand coming up to cup the side of Quinn’s face.

“Oh, I don’t know, maybe when you used my own wand against me,” Quinn answered, looking up at the ceiling to fight the onslaught of emotions hitting her all at once. She felt overwhelmed, as if she had been thrown in the ocean with weights around her ankles, fighting to keep her head above water, but also desperate to drown.

“Q,” Santana whispered, moving forward once more so that their bodies were now touching. Quinn sighed at the sound of Santana’s voice and dropped her head forward, revelling in the feel of Santana practically nuzzling into her.

“I thought I made it up, I thought I imagined it all,” she admitted, closing her eyes to block out Santana’s staring back at her. “This is crazy…you’re still a fugitive.”

“Things are changing.”

“I’ve heard that before,” she grumbled, much to Santana’s amusement.

“This time…well, this time it’ll be different. Give it six months, and you’ll see what I’m talking about.” Merlin, if that wasn’t cryptic.

“Six months? Just like that, you’ll vanish back into thin air for six months?” Quinn asked, trying to hide the hurt from her voice and failing miserably.

“I’ve been gone for four years, and you’ve coped,” Santana replied, shrugging one shoulder.

Truth was, she was going to be very busy in the next six months and she could no longer keep such a close eye on Quinn. There was just no way she’d be able to achieve everything and be able to safely meet and see her. It was impossible.

“Yes, when I thought you’d betrayed me, not protected me. I can’t…Santana we can’t just leave it like this, I mean, I could come with you-“

“No, you can’t. In six months, someone will come to you with a list, my name will be on it. If you’re not there, if you’re missing then my name will be wiped from it. You need to be around to give your opinion. You need to be there to set the record straight,” Santana said quickly, cutting her off.

She’d toyed with the idea of taking Quinn with her the night of the attack but she couldn’t. Quinn needed to stay out of it until it was safe. No one knew she was one of the original nine daughters. If they found out, if the Ministry found out, they’d arrest her and probably send her to Azkaban. Santana was good, but not even she could break in or out of Azkaban.

“You’re being vague? What list? Santana-“ Quinn groaned, her hand on Santana’s waist.

“I can’t tell you anymore. Please, just give me six months for that list to appear, and in eight months to the day, and I’ll see you again, right back here.” It was the best she could do. It was all she could do.

“Six months for the list, eight to see you again?” Quinn repeated, an ache in her chest at the thought of not seeing Santana again for so long. It felt foolish, really. Earlier, she’d wanted to gut this woman, but now…now she wanted nothing more than to kiss her and never stop.

“Exactly,” Santana said, nodding her head once. It didn’t ease any fears Quinn had, however.

“If you’re wrong- if it’s longer-“

“Then I’ll come find you just so you can yell at me for getting it wrong. How does that sound?” It was a joke, and the small smile on Santana’s lips was enough for Quinn to sigh and roll her eyes.

“What if something happens to you, though?” she asked seriously. “How will I know you’re safe?” Once again, Santana reached out and caressed Quinn’s rib cage, over her tattoo.

“If anything were to finally do me in, the raven will lose feathers. One means I’m dying, two means I’m within my last twenty four hours, and three means I’m dead.”

Santana had spent months trying to alter the original marking spell. She wanted a way of alerting her Sisters that one might be in trouble, so they could aid each other if one was in need. Now, due to the circumstances, the bird on lost its feathers when Santana was in grave danger, allowing the second in command to either help save her, or start taking over for her.

“You’re not going to die on me, or so help me-“ Quinn began, horrified at the thought of Santana dying. She wasn’t allowed to, it was as simple as that. Now that Quinn knew the truth, she needed Santana alive. She wouldn’t be able to live with herself if something happened to the other woman.

“I’ll do my best to stay alive, for you,” Santana said, cutting her off softly.

“You better. “

Grinning Santana nodded and then reached for Quinn’s hand. Taking it in hers, Santana lifted it to her lips and kissed her knuckles, prolonging the contact between them. It was the first time she’d kissed her, and while it wasn’t the kiss Quinn was after, she closed her eyes and imagined those lips against hers.

One day, one day they would be.

“Eight months. I’ll see you in eight months,” Santana murmured, and with another kiss to Quinn’s knuckles, Santana turned away and left.

Standing alone in their headquarters, Quinn raised her hand to her lips and kissed the area Santana just had. One day, in eight months’ time, Quinn would finally get the courage to kiss the woman who had saved her from a life of torture and incarceration. Until then, however, she was going to do everything in her power to pull apart the Ministry for everything they had done.

It was about time the truth about The Daughters of Avalon was revealed.

*0*0*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A.N. Sorry for any mistakes and typos in this chapter, I will go back and fix them soon. And there will be one more chapter to this little story. It should be posted within the next week. Cheers!


	3. Chapter 3

*0*0*

Walking away that day was one of the hardest things Quinn had to do, but she knew there was nothing more to be done. She couldn’t stay with Santana. She needed to stay in her job, start cleaning up the mess that had been left by the previous administration, and begin to move forward with her life.

For starters, she needed to revaluate who she could trust in the Auror department. Some of the names that had been mentioned in the files, Senior Aurors who had signed warrants for her arrest and torture, she wouldn’t be able to look at them again. They clearly had no problem believing everything the Ministry had fed them, but they should have seen the injustice in locking people up for no reason. They should have realised this was exactly what everyone had fought, what _they_ had fought, to stop.

Now, Quinn had every intention of bringing this information to light. Long gone were the days of press censorship, and with the freedom to print what they wanted, there was more than just The Daily Prophet and The Quibbler on hand to read.

It would be a risky move, one that would definitely cost Quinn her job if she didn’t plan it effectively, but it was a risk she needed to take. The Daughters of Avalon had been vilified, and turned into a scapegoat for many of the Ministry’s problems. That was not going to continue, not any more.

Of course, in Quinn’s haste to leave The Isles of Apples Pub, she left behind the files Santana had shown her. It had been an afterthought to grab them, but she’d already apparated home. Once Santana had gone, she just wanted to go home and fall into a warm bath, giving her time to re-evaluate everything that had come to light.

Thankfully, though, someone seemed to know exactly what she needed, because the following morning, right as Quinn was getting ready to go to work, she heard her doorbell ring, and right there on her doorstep was a case of files.

There were a lot more present than what she had seen, and deciding that it would be better to know exactly what she had her hands on, Quinn sent an owl with a sick note, citing sickness and a migraine.

Since the Duo Stupefy spell, and due to the intensity of which she was struck four years ago, Quinn has occasionally been hindered by headaches and nausea. The Ministry have always been very accommodating, and now she knew why. So this excuse, this lie, it was believable enough to get her off work without any fuss.

Now, with ample time to read over everything in the box, Quinn unloaded the papers and files out across her dining room table, and started working through them. Paper-clipped to one file in particular, the very file she had read yesterday, was a note.

_I think you might be needing these._

It was simple, to the point, and it brought a smile to her lips. Santana was still watching her, or had been, at least. Eight months, that’s all Quinn had to keep reminding herself. In eight months, she’d be with her again. They had a goal, she just had to wait to see it be achieved.

*0*0*

If this situation did anything, it was light a fire under Quinn. She was going to tear their department apart, and now she had the means to do it. Accidental deaths, overeager Aurors, _persuasion_ techniques gone awry, it was all there, all catalogued and the bodies dumped. There were lists of names, witches and wizards, children and babies, all having gone ‘missing’.

This was no longer about The Daughters of Avalon and clearing the group’s name from the vendetta against them. This was so much bigger than that, and Quinn couldn’t sit on this. She had to act, no matter the consequences. She needed to get this information out there, but without causing wide-spread panic.

Thankfully, she had the right connections to manage this. With a trip into Diagon Alley, and with the use of Postal owls, rather than her own in case they were being monitored by the Ministry, she sent word to a few names she had long since forgotten about, providing them with all the information they’d need if something happened to her.

It was just a precautionary measure, but one that felt necessary in the current circumstances.

With that job complete, and after running a few other errands, everything was in place for what she was going to do. All that was needed now was to wait it out until the following morning, striking while the iron was hot, and ensuring that the first thing everyone in the Ministry was going to be dealing with was this.

The waiting was the hardest aspect of the lot, and Quinn retreated home to try and calm the rush of emotions she could feel underneath the surface. It wasn’t that she was worried or concerned about herself, because regardless of what Santana said about not being around to keep an eye on her she knew someone probably still was, but more so that this was going kick-start a chain reaction she had no control over.

Despite everything, she was still going to do it, still going to make it known what the Ministry had been up to, but she prayed to Merlin that this wouldn’t affect Santana and whatever list her name was meant to be on in six months’ time.

That was the thought she went to bed with, and the one she woke up with. It hung over her as she showered, washing the Raven on her ribcage and giving it a sad smile as it preened its feathers in return, and it followed her all the way to work. Even as she sat at her desk, well before most of the department was in, the very idea that this might affect Santana was gnawing at her determination. She knew better than to let it get to her. She was used to blocking things out by now, and this should be no different.

Thankfully, by the time enough people were in for this to have the right effect, the thoughts had calmed, and she only had a smidgen of worry for the other witch. Santana could take care of herself, though. She had for years, and if this threw a spanner in the works, she would adapt like she always had. Quinn just needed to remember that.

Heading to the centre investigation desk where all the data and leads on The Daughters of Avalon was laid out, Quinn dropped the most important files down in plain view, and took a seat. A few of the other Aurors on her team were sitting there, and immediately took notice, assuming it was new reports or a good lead on how to catch their leader. They were certainly shocked and surprised to see Classified Ministry files, and medical reports of civilians that had died in Ministry custody and the hands of their colleagues.

“What’s all this?” Hudson asked, looking at all the files carefully, frowning at a few. “Some of these are confidential and require clearance above your grade, how did you get them?” he wondered, and Quinn remained quiet.

She didn’t need to speak. The evidence would do that itself. She just needed the right people to focus on this, and all would fall into place. Thankfully, Hudson’s confusion and questions had caught the ear of the right man.

“What clearance?” Auror Colbert asked, getting up from a nearby desk and walking over. Quinn couldn’t help the reflexive action of reaching for her wand beneath her robes, and she gripped the handle tight. She couldn’t harm a fellow Auror, it would blow this up in her face, but Merlin, she wanted to punish the man who had dragged her in to spy on her, who was ready to torture her. “Where did you get these?”  he asked again, looking at Quinn carefully, his hand slyly moving towards his wand, too.

“I was given them, anonymously,” she answered, her eyes cold and her voice colder. It had him swallowing anxiously, a move not missed by her, and the other Aurors in the room had come over to see what was going on.

Despite the fact Quinn was seated, it was clear there was some sort of challenge being thrown down, with Auror Colbert having puffed out his chest in response to her words. It looked like this little confrontation was setting the whole place on edge, and no one quite knew what to expect next.

“Have you read them?” Colbert asked, using his left hand, his weaker hand, to tap the top of the files.

“Of course.” He was already aware that she had, his question was merely for those in the room.

“Well, these clearly can’t be the real files, Quinn.” As hard as he tried, Colbert’s voice held an edge of annoyance to it, one that a few of the other Aurors picked up on.

“It’s Auror Fabray, and you might want to try reading them before you say their fakes.” He grew red at his misstep, and made to collect the files. “Feel free to take them and have a look, destroy them even, but I should inform you that copies have been sent to three Ministry Department Heads, as well as the Ethics Committee and Minister of Magic, and if this information isn’t taken seriously, I have it on good authority that copies will be sent to the press,” Quinn finished, and that caught the attention of everyone.

She could see the frowns and confusion, but she could also see recognition in those that had betrayed her, the ones that wanted to torture her for information, and while her wand was still at the ready, Quinn noted she might be out of her depth if someone was to overreact.

Her wand work was spectacular, but when up against Santana, it revealed how weak it was in some regards. If those present in the room were on par with her, Quinn didn’t stand a chance.

“This is classified information, releasing this to the public is against the law, Auror Fabray-“ Colbert began, glaring across the table.

“Well, lucky me that I’m not the one releasing it.” Not yet anyway.

“Who is your source? Who gave you these, and who is trying to blackmail and hijack a Ministry Department?” A lot of the other Aurors began nodding in agreement, wanting the same answers.

“It was an anonymous tip. Do you not understand what the word anonymous means?” she spat back, her lip curling at the glare she was receiving in return.

“How were you contacted?” he ground out, his right hand clenched tightly into a fist, and the other gripping the files hard enough to crumple the manila folders.

“They were dropped off at my door,” she answered simply, keeping it to the exact truth, shooting a look round the room.

It was with relief that Quinn could see several of those close, who had managed to grab a file and begin reading, that they were not nodding, but frowning at the pages in their hands and glancing between themselves.

The seeds of doubt had been planted, even Hudson looked perplexed by what he was reading, and the Ministry was going to have to deal with this situation head on if they were to calm the angry voices that would rise up. It was exactly what Quinn needed, what The Daughters of Avalon needed, what Santana needed.

Colbert shook his head at Quinn’s response and pulled out his wand, making a lot of others pull their own out. Quinn was quick to do the same, but the shock in his face told her he hadn’t meant to make that look like an attack.

Unclenching his fist, not a word leaving his lips, he held his hand up in mock surrender, before casting a spell to retrieve each and every one of the files Quinn had brought in that morning. They piled themselves up neatly before whisking off to his office, and then he lowered his wand, which was followed by the others.

“My office, now,” he said simply, turning round and storming between the desks.

Quinn rose from her seat, aware that a lot of the other Aurors were watching her carefully, and began to walk away with her head held high. But just as she was about to pass by a row of desks, Hudson stepped out and blocked her path.

She wanted to be annoyed, but he looked confused, as if he didn’t understand what was going on exactly. She knew he’d been reading one of the files before they were whisked away, so maybe he had seen something that didn’t add up.

“Quinn…is this…were those files real?” he asked, crossing his arms over his chest, but his stance wasn’t intimidating or defensive in anyway.

“Yes, Finn, they’re very real,” she replied, now wondering what file he had been reading exactly.

“Okay…okay.” He looked even more confused, but he stepped out of the way, allowing her to pass, and then quickly went back to work. 

Deciding to deal with him later, Quinn headed onwards to Colbert’s office and anticipated the fallout awaiting for her. She was not disappointed. The man ranted and raved about breaking protocol, about trusting terrorists, about the harm these malicious files could do to the Ministry, and she stood there and took it, unwavering in her determination to bow under his pressure.  

When it was obvious that she wasn’t going to expand on an anonymous source, and that she had no intention of claiming the files were false, Colbert made the move to have Hit-Wizards talk to her, and that really got her blood going.

When the Hit-Wizards arrived in the department, with Quinn still locked in a shouting match with Colbert, it was Finn Hudson’s voice she could hear demanding answers as to why they were there. She never thought she’d see the day that he stood up for her, but there he was, and she couldn’t be prouder. There was faith for him yet.

Due to Finn’s outburst, many other Aurors were starting to wonder the same thing; why were Hit-Wizards wanting to interview Auror Fabray, and what did they intend to do to her? The whole Auror Department knew of their _persuasion_ methods, and they were not going to stand idly by while one of their own was tortured.

Thankfully, this allowed enough time for Quinn to send off an internal memo, which was missed in the bustle of everything going on. Colbert was too busy trying to argue his Aurors down to notice, and the way the crowds were beginning to gather meant that it was looking less likely by the second that they’d be able to drag Quinn away with them.

This had actually turned out surprisingly well, given how volatile it looked to be getting earlier.

Quinn didn’t have to wait long to see the reaction of her memo, as the Minister of Magic’s personal staffers came down to break things up pretty quickly. They immediately escorted Colbert from the department, along with the Hit-wizards, and two remained behind to keep an eye on Quinn.

She remained in Colbert’s office, watching them as they spoke amongst themselves for a second, and then one of them entered the room. She looked as if she would startle at the drop of a pin, but Quinn knew her better than that.

“Are you okay?” Emma asked, Daughter Seven, and a face Quinn had avoided looking at in the years that had followed their time in the Camps.

“Yes, thank you for getting here so quickly.” It felt surreal talking to her once again, but Quinn knew she wouldn’t have turned her back on a fellow Daughter.

“We would have come sooner had we known. She didn’t mention that this would be happening so soon,” Emma replied, tucking her hair behind her ear and wiping down her robes.

She. Santana. She had spoken to them. She had made them aware of the situation with Quinn. They were back on her side once again, knowing that she was aiding them, not hindering them, and it was relief that she felt flooding her system.

“I didn’t let her know, but I needed to do this, regardless of what it means for the Daughters,” Quinn answered, trying not to feel guilty for pulling Emma’s involvement. She had remained a secret in the Ministry for years, and while Quinn and her had gotten to know each other well from their nights in the Isle of Apples Pub, it was still surreal to see one another outside of that environment.

“We know, and we have things under control. You’ll be safe. We’re taking care of it.”

“I’m…I’m sorry-“

“There’s no need to apologise. You didn’t turn on us,” she replied, giving Quinn a soft smile, and then she turned back to look at the staffer outside the door. “You should remain in here, and I’ll do my best to make sure nothing happens.”

She left after that, being unable to cross the room and give Quinn a hug like she wished to, but there were too many eyes and ears on the room, on them, and suspicion couldn’t be aroused. They all needed to fly under the radar until this was dealt with.

Thankfully, just like Emma ensured her, Quinn was saved an interview under Veritaserum on how she obtained the files. This news came hours later, direct from the Minister himself, who didn’t like what had come to light, and wanted to rectify it as quickly as possible. While his administration and himself had not been in charge at the time, they had to handle the situation very carefully.

In doing so, that meant an internal investigation before the press found out. Quinn didn’t want to alert anyone to the fact that the press were going to find out regardless of what this investigation discovered. The world needed to know what their Ministry had been up to, there was just no other way around it.

However, that could wait. Quinn was immediately given the week off, with a gruff apology from the Hit-Wizards that came to interrogate her, and then she was escorted out of the building. The latter part was the most frustrating, but she had done exactly what was needed. She got them looking into the mysterious disappearances and the foul practices that had been going on under the Ministry’s nose.

Quinn did suspect that the only reason she was allowed to walk away was because she  had previously been issued a warrant for detainment, interviews under Veritaserum, and other methods of persuasion during private interviews. The last thing the Ministry needed was anyone finding out that they’d almost done the same again to a very well respected Auror.

And well respected she was.

Even if her career had been tied into finding The Daughters of Avalon, she had a very high success rate for apprehending Dark Arts witches and wizards, and those in the trade of selling and possessing Dark Arts objects.

She wasn’t someone they could dismiss easily, and the fact that her colleagues had stood up for her meant this was going to be even harder for them to explain, but explain they would. She wanted The Daughters of Avalon cleared of any wrongdoings, and that’s what she intended to get.

*0*0*

Wading through the bureaucratic nonsense was taking longer than Quinn would have liked, and gradually, days rolled into weeks, and then into months. The Ministry was still running an investigation, and it was slowly concluding that The Daughters of Avalon were not a terrorist group.

Because their findings supported the group, and in turn, Santana, Quinn felt no need to go ahead with releasing the details to the press just yet. She would, but she needed to make sure the politicians were doing their job first, rather than being badgered by questions all the time.

Colbert was seemingly absent from the office after that day, and a stand in Auror was in control. Given the detailed files that Quinn had released, and after they had been verified by the official records, any name linked to the files was immediately under investigation. That meant Colbert was out until further notice.

The job still went on, with raids here and there, but slowly people inside the Auror Department were watching their colleagues, their friends being arrested and questioned. It created a new atmosphere, a more secure atmosphere, one where everyone could trust the person standing next to them on jobs, and Quinn could almost forget what was really going on.

Almost.

It happened one morning, completely out of the blue, while she was filling in status reports on known criminals they had been tracking. There was nothing specifically special about that morning, but it was one not to be forgotten when she was interrupted.

“Auror Fabray, do you have a minute?”  a voice asked, and Quinn looked up at the person standing before her desk.

“Of course, what can I help you with?” The young witch gave her a smile before handing over a file, without elaborating as to what it was. Frowning, Quinn accepted and read the name, her hand faltering for just a moment. “Why…why am I being shown this?” she asked, looking back up, hoping to get an answer to her question this time.

“The Minister of Magic thought it pertinent that you reviewed one of the names. The recommendation came from this office, and given recent events coming to light, the Ministry is attempting to right many wrongs. However, you were personally affected, and if you decide to speak against the recommendation, the name will be pulled from the list. The Ministry certainly wouldn’t want to pardon a criminal,” she finished, and Quinn swallowed roughly, trying to hide her shaking hands.

Opening the file, she scanned the list of names, seventeen in total, and found Santana’s three from the bottom. This was what she meant. This was why Quinn couldn’t go with her. She was going to be pardoned. Santana had been right, if Quinn had been missing or absent, they would have assumed the worst, and if she hadn’t been around to start the domino chain that allowed more knowledge to be revealed about The Daughters of Avalon, Santana’s name wouldn’t even be on the list.

“Is it a full pardon?” she asked, wondering if it had taken everything into account.

“Eh…” Glancing over the file on the desk, the witch shook her head upon seeing the numbered code next to Santana’s name. “No, she’s being pardoned for her actions up until her incarceration. I believe, if memory serves me correct, she has to face the consequences of attacking-“ as if realising who she was talking to, the witch stopped short.

“Right, of course.” Quinn was sure that with the right support, she could even get that overturned. Santana’s attack was to aid Quinn, all the evidence was there to be read in plain sight, so surely no charges should be brought to her, especially if Quinn was to speak up on Santana’s behalf.

“I have no objections. In fact, I absolutely support her pardon,” Quinn finally answered, folding the file over and handing it back to the surprised witch. “Will you let me know when they’ll officially take place?”

“I believe the Minister is signing them tomorrow morning, first thing.”

“Thank you.” With nothing else needed, the witch bode Quinn good day and then left.

Tomorrow morning. First thing tomorrow morning, Santana would be one step closer to being a free witch, and no longer the fugitive the Ministry had painted her out to be. It was about damn time.

*0*0*

The pardons went through without much buzz, but that was no surprise given what was going round. By the time Quinn had arrived at the Ministry, it had been too late, she’d seen the officers waiting and automatically assumed they were waiting for someone else. Of course, that wasn’t the case, and after establishing the fact that she was Auror Fabray, they escorted her to the elevators, and down to the basement levels.

It had her on edge, and despite asking several times what this was about, the wizards didn’t say anything. They remained silent and then walked with her through the bottom floor, and added her to the back a queue, where she was standing behind Finn.

Up ahead, the line of other Ministry workers, spanning different departments and grades, was being escorted through the room at the end of the hallway. Quinn didn’t know of every nook and cranny in the Ministry, but she was aware of what that room entailed. However, she was sure it hadn’t been finished yet, that it was still being constructed, but maybe she was wrong.

With the plethora of criminals needing processed after the war, and the abundant ways to frame people, akin to Sirius Black’s situation, the Ministry invested in their very own Thief’s Downfall. It was an almost exact replica, minus the carts, of the one in Gringotts Bank, ready to wash away any incantations and charms that the witch, wizard, animal or object beneath it held.

No animagus could beat it. No undetectable spells could beat it. No Polyjuice potions of any type could beat it. In fact, it was much better than the one in Gringotts, and now Quinn was about to be subjected to its wrath. She knew what it would do; it would reveal the Raven, and then she would have some explaining to do. But first, she had to make it to the front of the line.

“What’s going on?” she asked Finn, wondering if he had any more knowledge on this than she did. He turned to her, surprised by her presence, and ducked his head to reply.

“They’re checking the whole department for insiders of a terrorist group.” He shrugged his shoulders, as if this made no sense, and for everyone on the outside of what was going on, it probably didn’t.

Santana’s pardon the previous day must have tipped people off. There had to still be people inside the Ministry that were against The Daughters, and if they were trying to flush out informants, they had chosen the right time to do so.

Santana’s loyalty to her group had never been in question, and while she hadn’t received a full pardon, as she was still accountable for the attack on Quinn, if she was to suddenly storm the Ministry building to protect her Sisters, there would be hell to pay. It would make her a number one threat again, and it was a bold move by the Ministry.

Quinn could only hope that Santana knew that this was a trick, a trap to set her up, and remain far enough away not to get caught in this mess. If she wasn’t being guarded, if she wasn’t being watched so carefully, she would send an owl off to warn the others, but there was too much risk.

“They’re searching for the Raven,” Quinn muttered, informing Finn just what this was about. While his incompetency used to annoy her, he had grown on her recently. Just the fact that he was on her side the second those files were revealed immediately improved his standing.

“Like the Raven that The Daughters of Avalon have?” he asked, and she nodded. 

“Yes, the very one.” The same one that she could feel fluttering on her ribcage, as if anxious. Clearly her mood was affecting her bird.

“Why would any of us be terrorists?” he wondered, and Quinn shot him a glare.

“The Daughters are not terrorists.” Finn’s mouth opened in shock, as if finally slotting two pieces of a puzzle together, and he gave Quinn another look over.

“Are you one of them? Quinn, you can’t be one of them! They’ll arrest you,” he whispered loudly, looking down the line to see where about the inspectors were. Not close enough to hear, but still too close for her liking.

“That’s the least of my worries,” she grumbled, knowing that if they did finally reveal her to be a member of The Daughters of Avalon, it wouldn’t be her association with them that got her in trouble, but the fact she broke the law when passing on confidential information that they would have her on.

“What are you going to do?”

“Nothing. I’m not going to do anything.” There was nothing she could do, if she was being honest with herself. “But Finn, do me one favour when you get out of here?” she asked, and he nodded instantly. “Send an owl to Marley Rose, over at The Quibbler.”

“What do you want me to say?”

“Just one word, okay?” He nodded again, and Quinn glanced around the others to make sure no one was listening. “Birdcage. That’s it, that’s the message. Just birdcage. Got it?” she asked seriously, knowing that it wasn’t rocket science but that he needed to get this right.

“Got it,” he said confidently.

“Thank you.” He probably had no idea how much help he was about to be.

“No problem,” he said, nodding his head a little, “If you’d told me sooner, I could have helped you. I would have helped you.”

“I couldn’t. I’m sorry. But you’re helping me now, and that’s all that matters,” Quinn replied, and he shot her a soft smile, his boyish features coming through, and she wondered if his naivety made him the perfect candidate for Colbert to have under his wing.

“Finn Hudson,” the inspector called, interrupting them, a cold smile on his face as Finn nodded. “Follow me.”

Doing as he was told, Quinn watched as Finn followed the man inside, and stood rooted to the spot. She was next, and even though she was prepared for the fallout of this, in case it ever was discovered, it didn’t stop the nerves from eating away at her resolve.

Maybe that was part of their plan, however. Maybe this was all just one big show to make her lose her cool and confess. Maybe there was nothing behind that door of consequence. She couldn’t bow out, not now, not ever.

As it turned out, the Ministry’s version of Thief’s Downfall worked perfectly. And it sounded the second she stood under the running water. The personnel inside the room immediately set about trying to establish what incantation had been removed, but she knew the smirk on the man in charge told her enough. He asked her to life her robes, to show the right side of her ribcage, and while a few of the others bristled at the suggestion, they shut their mouths when they saw her Raven, which was looking mighty pissed off.

“Thank you very much, Auror Fabray. You’re exactly who we’re looking for.”

*0*0*

After the charm had been lifted, and the Raven revealed, Quinn was escorted into custody. They held her in the series of cells present in the Ministry, but made no move to interview or interrogate her. It made her wonder if this really was a trap for Santana to fall into, but as the days crawled by and still no one had bothered to speak to her, she wondered if something more was going on.

They kept her well fed, they allowed her to bath and have fresh clothes, but no one would tell her if she had been charged for any crimes, and they wouldn’t allow her to contact anyone. She was stuck, completely isolated, and there was nothing she could do about it.

The days dragged on and despite it being a major violation of her rights, she was still as helpless as before. Her wand had been confiscated from her, and when she was out of her cell, they had her bound until it was absolutely necessary to let her go. The whole situation was grating on her nerves, but only because she had no idea what was going on. She wanted answers. She desperately wanted answers, and just when she thought she wouldn’t get any, she did.

“Auror Quinn Fabray, you have been remanded here on account of your association with the known terrorist group, The Daughters of Avalon. Counts of treason, terrorism, leaking of confidential information, and-“ the official continued to read out the charges against her, and Quinn sat up straighter in her chair. They had taken her to an interview room where only two people were present, the officer opposite her, and a Hit-Wizard guard.

She knew when she started this that she risked being exposed as one of the nine original daughters, but she hadn’t expected them to charge her on terrorism accounts. The Daughters of Avalon had just had their name cleared in Ministry files, so this wasn’t making any sense. But had it ever made sense?

She had entered those Rehabilitation Camps a naive little girl, and she walked out a leading member of a fugitive group. That hadn’t been part of her life plan, and she hadn’t counted on falling in love with said groups leader. None of that made sense, not to Quinn, not to what she had planned, but yet she was going with it, no longer questioning it, and that’s all she could do when it came to her current predicament.

The Daughters of Avalon had protected her once before, even though it hadn’t looked like that, so she could only believe they would do the same again.

It was a knock on the interview room door that stopped proceedings, and then it opened. Quinn was used to interruptions during interviews, from her time being on the other side of the table, so didn’t think to look. It wasn’t until they spoke that she did.

“Excuse me, but may I speak to you a second?” Emma said, cutting them off, and Quinn shot around at the sound of her voice.

The man across from Quinn rose, looking confused by the interruption, but left the room nonetheless. She was left alone again, but her mind was overflowing with questions. What was going on? Was there something planned? Was she meant to do something now that she was alone? Had she missed a message or a cue?

Emma wouldn’t show up out of the blue, that was for sure, but Quinn still had no clue what the next move was. Thankfully, it didn’t matter because it wasn’t her move to make. It was the Ministry’s.

“Can you come with me, Quinn?” Emma asked, popping back in the room, a small smile playing on her lips.

Doing as was asked, Quinn followed Emma through the bowels of the Ministry, and they headed up in an elevator, escorted by security personnel. There were still binds on Quinn’s wrists, and she had yet to receive her wand, so she assumed she wasn’t completely off the hook, but then why was Emma smiling?

“I’ll take it from here, thanks,” Emma politely said when the elevator dinged open. The guards looked dubious, but then someone cleared their throat, and they nodded in understanding.

Turning to see who had made their presence known, Quinn was met with the sight of the Minister of Magic’s office doors, and a new Minister of Magic standing in between them. That had not been the Minister when they arrested her, but clearly there had been big changes while she had been locked up.

“Thank you, Emma. And Auror Fabray, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” Minister Holiday said, coming forward and holding her hand out. Quinn faltered due to the binds round her wrists, and Emma was quick to cut the spell short, releasing them.

“Why don’t you come on in, and we’ll have a talk,” she said warmly, and Quinn was unable to say no. Emma was looking at her like this was great news, but she was still in the dark.

Once inside the office, with the doors shut behind her, Quinn shook her head clear of thoughts and turned to ask what was going on. Except, the sight before her was not one she ever thought would occur and it had her almost tripping up in her haste to look away.

“Minister, I’m sorry but what are you doing-“ she began, astounded, but then she saw it.

Opening her blouse, Minister Holliday exposed the Raven on her ribcage, preening itself and settling in comfortably. Quinn was shocked, her eyes unable to move from the bird, and only the Minister’s chuckle brought her back to the reality of the situation.

“You’re the Second Daughter,” she said simply, pieces falling into place in her mind.

Quinn had met almost all the other nine Daughters. She knew Santana was the First, and Quinn herself was the Ninth. From Daughter Three to Daughter Seven, Quinn had met them all. The only ones she hadn’t were Two and Eight, but this was definitely Two.

“I am,” the Minister confirmed, nodding softly, watching Quinn’s reaction carefully.

“Minister, I-“

“Holly, you can call me Holly, as long as I get to call you Quinn?” She rose her eyebrows in question, and Quinn found herself nodding instantly.

“Yes, of course.”  Waving her hand at the seat before the desk, Quinn took a seat and watched as Holly moved round to sit opposite her.

“How did you know I was the second? I wasn’t under the impression that you had met all the others,” she wondered, curiosity in her voice.

“No, I haven’t. I’ve met six, including Santana, but that only leaves two others. Daughter Eight, I was told I would never meet. That only left Daughter Two.”

“Yes, don’t take it personally, but it’s probably good you won’t meet Daughter Eight. She’s quite…she’s crazy, psychotic. There was riot trying to get her initiated, but Santana needed the contacts and resources she could offer,” Holly said simply, shrugging her shoulders as if that was an everyday occurrence, and it was finally sinking it what was really going on.

The Daughters of Avalon were in control of the Ministry. Of course, that information was clearly secret, but they had Emma who worked as an aid to whatever Minister of Magic was assigned, and now they had Holly who was the Minister herself. That was huge. That was above and beyond what they had hoped for in that little crummy kitchen in Wales.

Santana must have been so proud.

Santana also must be one step closer to being free.

“Why…what’s going on?” Quinn asked, unable to fathom everything correctly. She had just been locked up for weeks on end, without any information, and here she was sitting in the Minister of Magic’s office. Nothing was adding up or making sense.

“It’s over, almost,” Holly replied, smiling happily. “You did exactly what Santana needed you to do, and her partial pardon went through successfully. We didn’t anticipate you getting caught, however. You’ve been in lock down for the last month, and we’re sorry we couldn’t get you out sooner. There were more pressing issues at hand.” She waved to herself as if to clarify.

“Your colleague Finn Hudson sent the message to Marley at the Quibbler, like you asked, and when she revealed what had been going on, there was public outcry. Santana always said how smart you were, but this move was your finest. The public couldn’t trust the administration, and you made it a walk in the park for me to take office. We really wouldn’t be here without you, Quinn.”

Taking a breath of relief, and knowing she would have to make sure she thanked Finn properly, Quinn relaxed in the chair, and tried to fight the surging emotions inside her. Holly allowed her a moment to pull herself back together, and then went on.

“Santana’s also sorry that her spell didn’t hold on your Raven,” Holly added, looking a little guilty as she spoke, which had Quinn frowning. That was no one’s fault, no one’s fault at all. It had protected Quinn for years, so Santana had no reason to apologise.

“No, she shouldn’t be. It worked out for the best, didn’t it?” Yes, she had just been in solitary confinement for a good month, but it wasn’t that bad.

“It did, but you could have been in serious danger,” Holly said gravely, and that, Quinn was aware of, but to hear so and knowing what Santana was like, it didn’t quite fit.

“Santana wasn’t aware I was locked up...”  she trailed off.

“No. We kept that piece of information from her until we had to. By then things were already in motion, I was on my way in, the other Minister was on his way out, she couldn’t be involved either way.”

“I bet that went down well,” Quinn muttered, just imagining Santana’s wrath.

“We needed to replace the windows in the pub. She let her magic get away from her.” Holly rolled her eyes and Quinn chuckled under breath. “It’s strange to be meeting you at last. I honestly never thought it possible.”

“How do you mean?” Quinn was the one that should be saying as much. It was Holly, Daughter Two, who was the more valuable asset to The Daughters. So why should she feel it surreal to be around Quinn?

“Santana made your initiation so easy,” Holly began, leading into what she was trying to say.  “She came back from the camps one night, and we had been preparing for bloodshed as she had a meeting with the Hit-Wizards that day. Well, there wasn’t a mark on her, and she spoke of this beautiful blonde who stepped in-between them and her, protecting her. She was completely taken by it, and when you did it again, Merlin, we thought she was going offer initiation right there on the spot. I’ve been hearing about you for years, and it’s so strange to finally meet the person I know so much about.”

“She…she told you about me?” Quinn wondered, curious to hear just what she had missed while being on the outside of The Daughters.

“You never would have been offered a place if we felt we couldn’t trust you, on some level. And everyone brings something to table. You won’t have seen it, because there are only nine of us, and you were the last, but we all brought something the group, and you brought your quick thinking and loyalty.” Well, they had to be wrong about the latter.

“I’ve been hunting Santana for years-“ Quinn interrupted, shaking her head, because that didn’t scream loyalty at all.

“But you never came clean. Santana saw it a mile off, she has a way of doing that. Her magic is more powerful than most. She saw you for what you were, right down to the parts you wanted to hide, and your loyalty stood out. You might have tried to kill her, accidentally of course, but you never really meant to hurt her.”

“Yes, I never meant for that to happen-“ Quinn began, feeling the heat in her cheeks, just recalling that incident in the pub. If it hadn’t been for Santana’s spell, Merlin only knows how badly burnt she would have been, or when she would have died from those injuries, rather.

“We know. She cleared it up,” Holly said, waving her hand dismissively.

“I wasn’t aware that the others would find out.” Did Santana tell them everything?

“My bird, it went a little crazy when you fired that spell. She was quick to clear things up. Personally, I thought it was Daughter Eight, but you always were full of surprises, and so was Santana.” Quinn took a second to process that thought and agreed. Santana was definitely full of surprises. But now things were going to be different.

With Holly in the Ministry, Santana would be able to get a full pardon and live her life. But what about Quinn? She had been locked up, had no one wondered? Had no one questioned? Would she still have a job waiting for her? Did she even want it?

“Not to be rude, but what happens now…I don’t…”

“You’re free to walk out here, Quinn. No charges are being brought against you. Under my current administration, The Daughters are being recognised for  aiding and saving thousands of lives. We’re receiving the recognition that’ll exonerate Santana, and with your word, she’ll be free. We’ll pardon her in a few weeks, once the dust settles on this transition. But it’s over. We’ve reached our goal.” Holly looked so proud, and Quinn could feel the same pride swelling in her chest.

“And she’ll be free,” she murmured, biting her bottom lip as that thought played on her tongue.

“Free as a bird,” Holly confirmed.

Smiling, Quinn sunk back into the chair, allowing herself to relax in the first time in Merlin knows how long. Knowing that, knowing that the fight was almost over, after all these years, had her close to tears. It could only be topped by Santana herself appearing, but Quinn wasn’t foolish enough to believe that would happen. Santana still needed to be fully pardoned.

“Santana fell in love with you, and she blew a hole in the wall of the pub when she found out they were on to you during your time in the rehabilitation camps,” Holly said, and Quinn didn’t understand the relevance of her words. “It took five of us to restrain her, to keep her from committing murder. Still now, I think a part of her hates how she let you down, put you in a position where you could have been hurt, and when it came to taking suspicion off you, I don’t think any of us expected her to actually go through with it.”

“You all knew,” Quinn said simply, frowning at this new development, but still eager to here where Holly was going with this.

“We had to. We knew once she used your wand against you, you would be gunning for her. Not us, but her. And if it had come back to us that she had injured one of our own, we all would have turned against her. We had to know, and we couldn’t tell you. Brittany was torn up about it, desperate to warn you of what was about to happen, and…what I’m trying to say is that you have always been a part of us, and you will always be part of The Daughters.”

“You make it sound like I have to leave,” Quinn said, wondering what was actually being said here.

“No, but Santana might try to give you the option.” Holly cocked her head to the side to observe her reaction.

“I don’t want it. You can tell her that I won’t accept it. Leaving The Daughters will not suddenly protect me-“

“No, but she thinks it will push you far enough away from her to protect you,” Holly argued.

“She’s crazy.” Merlin, she was a complete idiot if she thought that was true, and what was Quinn even doing falling in love with an idiot?

“Yep, she is.”

“I love her, Holly. I fell in love with her, and I can’t imagine leaving her. The Daughters of Avalon gave me a home when I needed one, and they showed me a world that put the safety of its people above all else. She showed me so much, and I could never leave her. Shouldn’t she know that, if she knows my loyalty so well?”

Holly grinned bright and started laughing, which had Quinn frowning. Then she heard it, the sound of a cloak hitting the floor. Looking over her shoulder, she just about fell out her chair when the other Daughters were standing there, all smiling brightly and looking at her excitedly.

She was up out the chair faster than she thought possible, being hugged and embraced by them all. Brittany was clapping happily, kissing her on both cheeks before passing her off. Rachel jumped up and down and welcomed her back. Tina gave her a tight hug and a small smile. And Mercedes held her face in her hands and thanked Merlin for her return.

“What are you…what?” she stuttered out, feeling her heart soar and the Raven on her ribcage fluttering excitedly.

There were her Sisters, the ones she had grown to love and care for, having been welcomed into their family on the word of one woman, and she had longed to see them again. A part of her always thought things would be awkward and difficult, but they were picking up where they had left off, as if nothing had happened, and she couldn’t be more thankful.

“You officially have all our permission to kick Santana’s ass in gear and go out with her,” Holly declared, grinning, and Quinn blushed, listening to her Sisters teasing her.

“We just wanted to know you felt the same way,” Rachel explained. “A failed romance would ruin our dynamics, and completely mess with our ability to-“ Brittany shushed Rachel by placing her hand over her mouth, and Quinn backtracked on what had just taken place.

“So she’s not going to ask me to leave?” she wondered.

“She could never,” Tina added, shaking her head.

 “We just needed to know you felt the same way,” Holly repeated, a smile on her lips, and Quinn nodded.

She definitely felt the same way, and as the group celebrated some more, with the addition of Emma, Quinn reflected on what that meant. She had never mentioned her feelings completely, how much she adored Santana for everything she was, but now she had the chance to.

She really couldn’t wait.

*0*0*

Several weeks later, atop a hill looking down on The Isles of Apples pub, Quinn walked up behind the woman who she had so desperately sought since that night in the camps, and entwined her hand in hers. Santana grinned when Quinn finally held her hand, and turned to look at the blonde.

“I think it’s about time we got that ale and apple pie I spoke of.”

“It’s your first day after receiving a full pardon, you can go anywhere, do anything, and you want to eat apple pie and drink beer in some crummy little pub in Wales?” Quinn teased, as if the significance was lost on her.

“I once mentioned to this gorgeous, beautiful, witch about how good the apple pie was, and I think it’s time I actually showed her ,” Santana replied, shooting her a smirk. Merlin, she looked beautiful.

The freedom, even though this was her first day, was doing her good. Quinn could see it in the lines of her face, the bags beneath her eyes lesser than what they used to, and she no longer looked like the fugitive she had been painted as. She genuinely looked happy, which was something Quinn could understand.

“Yes, five years is a long time to wait for a simple piece of pie,” she replied, shaking her head in mock annoyance.

“There’s absolutely nothing simple about it, just you wait and see.”  Santana pointed her finger at Quinn and waved it back and forth, bringing a smile to her lips.

Shaking her head at the ridiculousness of it all, they set off down the hill towards the pub, and it was then Quinn realised what this might actually be. Santana hadn’t said as much, but maybe it was implied.

“Is this our first date?”  she asked, and Santana stopped, making Quinn turn to her.

“Would you like it to be?” Of course she would, how could Santana even ask?

“You’re lucky I’m patient, because most girls wouldn’t have waited five years for you,” Quinn replied instead, and Santana grinned wickedly.

“Please, have you seen me?” Shoving her softly, Quinn rolled her eyes while Santana laughed.

“Lucy Q, what would I have done without you,” Santana murmured, coming up behind her and wrapping her arms around Quinn’s waist. She nuzzled into her neck, placing a soft kiss against the skin, and then hummed contentedly.

“I don’t dare to think,”  Quinn replied, her brain giving her the many possibilities.

“Neither do I.”

Turning in her arms, Quinn allowed Santana to wrap her arms round her neck, and then stepped closer. It was long overdue, and she had imagined this kiss for years. It should have taken place years before, in a dingy Rehabilitation Camp, and there certainly shouldn’t have been some attack in its place, but Quinn couldn’t fault how this had turned out.

Santana was free, no longer a fugitive; the Daughters were all safe and happy, and she now had a job where she wasn’t being spied on every five seconds. Things actually seemed to be working out quite well.

“Are you going to kiss me or do I need to do that too?” Santana mumbled, heat in her cheeks despite trying to sound flippant.

“You won’t be able to ruin this for me,” Quinn replied, shaking her head.

“Now that’s not true,” Santana argued, and it was good to hear her back to her annoying self that she had been in when Quinn recalled their time together.

Before Santana could go off on just how easily she could ruin this moment for her, Quinn stopped her shot with a quick peck to the lips. It rendered her speechless for a moment and then she received an adorable little grin.

“I did not wait all these years for that. You’ll have to do better,” Santana teased, and Quinn groaned in mock annoyance, smiling into the next kiss she planted on Santana’s lips, this time with more focus, more demand, and her hands running up into her hair.

She kissed her with everything she had; from those whispered secrets in that cell, to her sorrow for not protecting Santana from the Hit-Wizards, to their nights in her cell talking, to the four year chase that she should never have taken part in, and to what they were now, free, free as a bird.

Quinn brushed her lips slowly and surely over  Santana’s, allowing her tongue to gradually come into action, and remained oblivious to the notion that it had started raining softly around them. They were slowly getting soaked, but it didn’t matter.

They just had their first kiss, the first few kisses, and Quinn filed away the notion that she could kiss those lips a million times and still not tire of them.

“Apple pie?” Santana murmured, leaning her forehead on hers, those eyes bewitching Quinn for all she was worth.

“Apple pie,” she repeated, and Santana grinned.

“You’ll love it,” she said happily, like a child who was about to be served her favourite meal.

“I love you,” Quinn countered, and Santana’s smile never faltered.

“I know.” Placing a kiss to her fingertips, Santana leant over and placed it directly over the Raven on Quinn’s ribcage. “I’ve always known, it’s just you who hasn’t.”

Santana planted another kiss on her lips, and it was then Quinn felt it, the gradual tingling of her skin, right where the Raven sat, and it had her chuckling into their kiss.

“Is that your way of saying you love me too, having your bird feel up mine?”

“Maybe,” she teased, and then her face turned serious for a second. “I can’t wait to see what they’ll do when I get you naked,” Santana wondered, and Quinn was quick to shove her away.

“If I didn’t love you I’d curse your ass for that,” Quinn barked, fighting a smile, and pulling out her wand. Santana laughed and shook her head, stepping a few feet away.

“You have to catch me first, and Merlin knows you don’t know how to do that. Good luck!” she called, grinning brightly, before taking off down the hill towards the pub. Not to be beaten, Quinn set off after her.

Regardless if she caught her, Quinn didn’t care. It no longer mattered, not when her Raven was soaring on the side of her body, elated in the love she could feel coming off Santana in waves, and not when Quinn’s lips tasted of the woman she loved.

They had no reason to keep running, they were finally able to just be, and that’s exactly what they were going to do; over ale and apple pie.

*0*0*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A.N. – Thanks to boringsoit for mentioning Auror Quinn in the first place. This wouldn’t exist without with you. And to all of you who read this, cheers for sticking with it until the end!


End file.
